'Doing it for Me' Screening at the Department of Education

Posted by Lance Kramer1501.40sc on September 27, 2014

We're thrilled to announce that our student-produced film Doing It for Me will be screened for an audience of policymakers tomorrow at the Department of Education, as part of a discussion about issues related to high school dropouts and dropout prevention.

Agenda:

Panel discussion moderated by Greg Darnieder, Special Advisor on College Access:

Precious Lambert and Leah Edwards, co-directors

Maureen Dwyer, Executive Director of the Sitar Arts Center

Cristian A. Olivera Garcia, a senior enrolled in an interagency program at an alternative school, Seattle Public Schools. Garcia participated in a dropout prevention program funded by ED's High School Incentive Grant program.

Doing It for Me provides a look into the lives of two young DC women, Jessica and Victoria, who lose their way in the traditional school system for personal and family reasons. When their best friend of many years, Precious Lambert, became deeply concerned that Jessica and Victoria were becoming ‘lost,’ she decided to do something about it through the youth documentary program at Sitar Arts Center. Precious and her classmates use the process of creating a documentary to help tell their story and along the way, chart a new direction for Jessica and Victoria’s future.

The story shows how friendship, peer mentors, flexible programs and school environments can create a strong support system to combat feelings of anger and isolation that may lead to dropping out of high school. The film challenges common misperceptions and stereotypes of high school dropouts and reveals the complex situations that impact student decisions about dropping out of school.

If you are a reporter and would like to learn more about this project, please contact Alison Buki, Communications & Outreach Manager at alison(at)meridianhillpictures.com or 202-450-4085.

More about Youth Documentary Program

SoCal Clips Indie Film Fest has accepted IN THE PATH OF MY FATHER for its 2016 season! This year's festival takes place at The Historic Raleigh Studios in Hollywood, CA from August 12-14 and was voted one of the "Best Emerging Film Festivals in Los Angeles" by Film Fest Spot in 2015.

Even after the movie ends, there’s always another strikingly beautiful moment of watching the credits roll for a film you helped bring to life. It always hits me when I see the names of all the people — participants, students, families, teaching artists, and other film advisors — who traveled together on that challenging, yet amazing journey in creating the film. As a media teaching artist and documentary filmmaker, I am reminded with every new project that documentary filmmaking is not easy; you have to let go of control, be a team player, and be ready to adapt to change at any moment during the process. It’s both stimulating and exhausting. But it’s always a joy to see my young students create. My phenomenal film students from Sitar Arts Center fully embraced those challenges last Spring and came out with a powerful and heartwarming film about the importance of community support in the face of struggle: IN THE PATH OF MY FATHER.

We’re thrilled to announce that IN THE PATH OF MY FATHER, the latest short documentary produced through the 2015 Meridian Hill Pictures/Sitar Arts Center Youth Documentary Program, has been accepted into the 2016 Annapolis Film Festival and the 4th annual Bethesda Film Fest.

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